A Game-Changer
by Katyuana
Summary: Matsuda's always ragged on, the clown of the task force. But when he starts bringing in new information, he's suddenly top dog. Everyone thinks that Matsuda's outgrown being the ditzy officer and became a real one. But L's not convinced. Is there someone else in Matsuda's life? A girl, perhaps? Well that changes everything! MatsudaxOC
1. Coffee Shop Meetings

**Hi! Random, isn't it, this is, but I've been reading/watching Death Note (both fanfics and the show) and all that and I really wanted to do something with Matsuda. I mean, the poor guy is such a sweetie pie and everyone just rags on him. So I'm taking mercy on him by giving him a girlfriend. :D **

**And by the way, I'm a girl who hasn't had a boyfriend yet so I'm writing this off other things I've read. So excuse me for irregulars and for no Japanese honor suffixes things whatever they are. I have no idea how all that stuff works so none of that. Sorry...**

**. . .**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

The room was silent, so silent that every click of computer keys and every rustle of paper was magnified twice three hundred times; which makes no sense but that's how this works so deal with it. L was seated- or should we say crouched- in his chair, scanning the computer screen in front of him. Light Yagami had his back turned to the rest of the task force so that you couldn't see his face, also at a computer. He occasionally typed a few clicks. Mogi and the Chief had the other computers which was the main source of clicketly-click sounds. Aizawa and Matsuda got stuck with the paperwork.

Matsuda groaned, his tired eyes finally lifting from the mounds of paperwork. He rubs his neck, the kink in it bothering him to no end.

"Matsuda, you idiot!" The Chief snaps at him, glaring at him. "Pay attention; this is no time for slacking off!"

"S-sorry sir," Matsuda stammers, face red. He obediently lowered his eyes back to the papers.

The room was silent again, slight paper rustlings and the occasional cough the only thing breaking the heavy silence.

Just then, Matsuda's stomach decided that this was a grand setting for practicing to make dying whale sounds.

Matusda went strawberry-red as everyone turned to look at him. The Chief's mouth opened, preparing to give the awkward young man a scolding and he bowed his head, waiting for the scorching words when L interrupted.

"Matsuda, if you are hungry then by all means, please go acquire food someplace." L monotoned, not looking up.

"Uh- sure!" Matsuda said hesitantly, standing up and edging toward the door, away from the task force.

"The bakery down the street, they have cakes." L adds, looking thoughtful.

"Okay?" Matsuda scurried out before anymore disasters could occur.

* * *

"Uhhhhhhh..." Matsuda stared at the large menu, baffled by the seemingly infinite amount of sweet selections. Raspberry muffins? Sweet sugar cinnamon buns? Strawberry cake slices, blueberry... thingies, cannoli, cupcakes, croissants, other variations of those foods with chocolate, or marshmallows, or fruity things. There was simply too much to choose from!

The cashier was getting angry at Matsuda's indecision. "Come on, _come on, _hurry up! You're making a line!" He yelled. When the young officer glanced behind him, he indeed saw a line- actually a very small one. Only about two people. Huh, well wasn't _he_ an exaggerator.

"The strawberry cake slice and coffee?" Matsuda said quickly, turning back to the man, before the tantalizing other options could tempt him.

The man scoffed and hurried around the counter, mixing the coffee's ingredients and slicing the cakes and adding a dollop of whipped cream.

The cashier slid it over the counter, the plate of cake and steaming hot coffee cup slowing to a expert stop in front of the ditzy officer. Matsuda grasped the items, trying for a grateful smile. "Thanks!"

The grumpy man snorted and shouted, "Next!"

Matsuda turned to run off, hopefully before yet another embarrassment occurred at his expense.

"Aieeeee!" A squeal sounded, sharp and sudden.

Matsuda, trying to see what the sound was, was looking around when some shape collided with him, a short, brown-haired shape that was falling right on him!

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Matsuda yelled as his very very very hot coffee spilled all over his shirt, soaking into it and burning like fiery pits of death (to him at least). A weight settles itself on his chest.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Can I help you!" A voice said and Matsuda opened his eyes to see brilliantly green eyes staring worriedly into his.

"P-please get o-off me..."

* * *

**And there we have it! The end of the first chapter of my first Death Note story! Pre-warning you readers, updates will be slow and not frequent. Other stories on schedule you know? :D Thanks for reading!**

**Katyuana out! :3**


	2. It's 'Classified'

**thanks for the reviews! Here's chapter two! And to one of them, maybe this is slow enough?**

**Credit to the AWESOME D. Leveille for the nickname! ! ! You'll see it. :3**

* * *

"I'm really really sorry! Here!" The voice said apologetically. It was a female's. Hands pulled Matsuda up and tried to straighten his suit. Napkins dapped against the coffee stain on his shirt, providing a little relief from the coffee.

Matsuda felt dazed. Maybe he hit his head? "Sorry," he said, blinking. "I didn't see you." To be honest, he couldn't see much right now either.

"Oh, it wasn't you! I'm so clumsy," the girl muttered the last part to herself, seeming annoyed at her shortcomings. She brightened though. "Here, sit down." The girl pushed him down on a chair.

Matsuda's eyes focused and he finally saw the girl. And he blinked again. He blushed at how close she was because she was leaning forward almost on him.

The girl was a bit on the short side, reaching Matsuda's chin if he stood. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders and was pulled back by a light green headband with a cherry blossom on one side. She had a nice figure, like Misa-Misa's but she was more filled out than the model. She wore a modest purple sundress at ended above the knees with lilac sandals; but it was the girl's large green eyes that were staring intently at his were what really caught Matsuda's attention. They were like beautiful, lush, flowery fields in springtime...

"Excuse me?" The girl waved her hand in front of Matsuda's dumbstruck face. The young officer blinked again and realized that he was staring obtrusively at her. He blushed even more.

"Oh um um um..." Matsuda was lost at how to interact with the pretty girl. He'd never really talked much to girls. Luckily, she seemed to catch on to that.

She smiled at him. "I'm Sakura." Sakura finally pulled away from Matsuda and sat down across from him, to his immense relief.

"I'm Matsuda-" Then Matsuda remembered! _No giving out your names! _L had said when they met! No! This was bad! Ahhhhhhhhh! "No no no, forget I said that, forget I said that!" Matsuda waved his hands frantically in her face, as if trying to make her forget him. She looked perplexed. "I'm... um... um um um..." He stalled, unable to come up with a suitable alias.

Sakura looked beyond confused. "Oh dear. Did you hit your head too hard? Here, let me get you a new coffee," she said in concern. She stood and strode confidently to the counter. During Matsuda's crash with Sakura, a new person had taken over. She cleared her throat and when the young man looked at her, said, "One coffee please."

The man looked behind her at the confused Matsuda and then back at Sakura. He smiled knowingly and turned away. A few moments later, he handed two coffees the young woman's hands. She looked confused. "I asked for one?"

"It's for you and your boyfriend over there." The man said casually, pointing at Matsuda. Sakura looked startled and began to splutter while turning a bright red. The man laughed, not unkindly. "It's okay, it's nice to see two young people just out for coffee, instead of those rowdy parties. First date, is it?" Sakura edged away, her face flaming red. The man chuckled and busied himself with the coffee machine.

Sakura slid into her seat, sliding the second coffee to Matsuda. He looked worried and the tiniest bit lost. She tried to make conversation. "Sorry about crashing into you. Slipped, you know."

"It's okay," Matsuda said. He sipped his coffee, mindful of how hot it was. His chest still burned.

Sakura searched around for something to say. "Um, what was the 'forget I said my name' thing all about?" She was genuinely curious.

"It's classified." Matsuda felt very proud of himself for not flailing around and for actually making a coherent sentence.

Sakura looked skeptical. "'Classified?' What, is it top secret?" Then a thought came to her. "Wait, is it because of Kira and that name thing?"

Matsuda almost spat out his coffee in surprise. How had she figured it out? She was smart!

His eyes told Sakura she had it right. "Knew it!" she said triumphantly. "Ooh, are you investigating him or something?"

"Uhh..." Matsuda had no idea what to say to her.

"Oh right, it's 'classified.'" She made air quotes with her fingers and winked cheerfully at him, giggling.

He couldn't help but smile and chuckle.

They chatted a while longer, finding they both had a few things in common, like the fact they both loved strawberry related things. And other topics, like the weather or the grumpy cashier from earlier. They had a good laugh about that.

Then she said, "You must be pretty brave to fight against Kira."

Matsuda looked startled. "Yes, I guess you'd have to be. You don't support him, right?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura looked surprised. "No, of course not! He's a murderer," she said vehemently.

He felt relieved at that. "Oh okay. Good."

Sakura smiled flirtatiously at him. She leaned forward, staring at Matsuda with her big green eyes. "Can't have your date being Kira supporter, now can we?" she chuckled.

Matsuda laughed slightly. He didn't even feel uncomfortable being calling her date. He had never felt so comfortable with another person like this before.

Matsuda's phone buzzed. He glanced down at it. A message from Ryuzaki? He flipped open his phone.

The text read, _Get back here with my cake right now. You've been gone for half an hour. _

Matsuda stared at the text. Ah, why now Ryuzaki, when he was with the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen?... Did he just seriously think that? Stupid male mind of his!

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Matsuda sighed sadly. He stood, all his awkwardness returning.

Sakura was disappointed, she'd really liked the young man. "Wait! Here's my number, if you ever want to have coffee again." Then she stood, handing him a slip of paper. She headed over to the door, pushing it open. Sakura turned and waved one last goodbye. "Bye, _Matsu!"_ Then she was gone.

Matsuda stood there for a moment, looking a little shocked at the paper in his hands. Then he grinned. _I've got her number!_ he thought to himself happily.

As he left, he wondered where the _Matsu_ had come from.

* * *

**Yes I'm aware that other people use the nickname but I thought I'd ask just to be sure it was okay. And the part where Matsu freaked was fun to write! Lol**

**Katyuana out! :3**


	3. Sakura's Past and Present Families

**Chapter three!**

* * *

After a long day of working at her father's hotel, Sakura was smiling happily. Her big grin had stayed there ever since she had crashed into that young man at the coffee shop. Matsu was such a sweet guy. She was lucky to have met him, turning her average evening routine into a pleasant experience.

Sakura waved at her elderly neighbor who was looked like he was entering his house too. "Evening, James!" she said as she passed by.

The old man smiled absentmindedly, looking confused as he stood by his door. "Morning, Sara."

Sakura stopped and headed back. "It's Sakura, James. Did you forget where your keys are again?"

"Keys?" Old James said distractedly. The old man was an immigrant who had moved in a few years back. Sakura's family befriended the man and often helped him out. He was forgetful, always forgot where he hid his keys. Sakura would, most of time, find him sitting on his doorstep, looking lost after she came home from work.

"Don't worry, James," Sakura said kindly, pulling a ring of keys from his hanging ferns. She twisted it in the lock and pulled old James up and into the house. "There you go. Now, remember feed yourself and to turn off the oven after you're done, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Sara." Sakura rolled her eyes. The man never remembered her name, even after five years of him living there. She closed the door behind him, locked it and returned the keys to the ferns.

Sakura left James' yard and headed to her own. Pulling out her key ring, she sorted though and pulled the dark one out. She twisted it, and skipped into the house. Placing her purse on the table, she yelled out for the occupants to hear, "I'M HOME!"

A raven haired head popped out from the doorway in the kitchen. Hitomi Sazuki, Sakura's adoptive mother, laughed at her daughter's antics. Hitomi had adopted Sakura when the girl was ten years old. That was eleven years ago and she couldn't be prouder of her daughter, despite her painful past, before she made her way to the Sazuki household. Hitomi gestured for Sakura to come in. "It was so quiet before you got here," she teased.

Sakura mock-glared at her. "Aw, you know you missed me," she said playfully.

Hitomi smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll be in the kitchen. Go see your sisters, they've been waiting for you."

Sakura went in the dining room, calling out her sisters' names, "Jun! Haruka!"

"Hi, Sakura!" Haruka said as she bounded excitedly into the room, followed by a more subdued Jun. Both were ten years old and Hitomi's true children, with her brown eyes. But that didn't make them any less sisters. They had been born one year after Hitomi had adopted Sakura. The twins had helped Sakura settle in and move past her traumatic childhood. The girls all had a close bond.

The girls were carrying a picture and still wet paintbrush each. Haruka stopped in front Sakura and held out her picture. "Look what we made!" she said proudly, flopping her painting. Jun held hers out for inspection too, albeit calmer that her twin.

Sakura went over to them and ruffled their raven hair, evoking a protest from Haruka and a blank look from Jun. "They're gorgeous, girls. I bet I couldn't do better," Sakura said convincingly, staring at the tall paint lump on Haruka's and the five sticks on Jun's.

Jun poked her sister's side and made a few hand motions. Haruka laughed, "Jun said that's cuz you suck at drawing." Jun nodded very seriously.

Sakura groaned, regretting the time they had asked her to draw a dog. The creature she made didn't even resemble a animal, more of a deformed blob. Since then they hadn't let her live it down.

"How was work?" Haruka asked. They sat down at the table and Jun began poking her paper with her paintbrush.

"Boring as usual. But I guess you still want to hear about it, right?" she said, sitting down next to them. They nodded, and Sakura sighed. Jun took her sister's brush and resumed poking her paper again.

"Well, first off, Shigeo was a total idiot. He told off poor Atsuko for forgetting to set the tables and she's so sweet! Anyone who can say a mean word to that girl is evil. And later..." Sakura let herself go in the rant about work at the hotel. Despite her never admitting it, this sort of helped the stress of managing a huge hotel at the end of the day. Jun often looked like she was spacing out, while her twin would comment on certain parts. But Sakura knew the silent girl was listening.

A yummy smell emanated from the kitchen. Jun tapped Haruka's shoulder and the girl stopped chatting and turned to her twin. Jun pointed to the kitchen and Haruka smiled and slipped off her seat. Sakura smiled and walked over the two girls. Jun led the way to the kitchen.

Hitomi was bustling around the kitchen. She was almost done it just needed to cook for a while. She spotted her daughters waiting at the doorway while she was placing the finishing touches. "Almost done, girls. It'll be easy when your father get home."

Haruka moaned, "That'll take _forever! _He's always late." Jun rolled her eyes. She dragged both her sisters back to the dining room and showed her new painting to them.

Sakura decided to entertain them. Grabbing more paper and the paint jars, she challenged them to a painting contest. This managed to keep them occupied for a half hour while Sakura left to go to her room.

Sakura closed her door behind her with a sigh. Not that she didn't love her adopted family but it was nice to be able to get away from it. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, before deciding against that. Her scars were visible and she didn't like showing them, despite knowing that she was safe with her family.

Sakura only wished that her birth family had the same mentality for her.

She still had the scars. Emotionally and physically.

And she was alone.

Sakura was alone. _Her sister was gone. _

* * *

**I'm sorry guys! I wrote this a while ago but never got to finish. **

******Thanks to Kkoyuki who really helped shape Sakura. **  


**Katyuana out! :3 **


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